I'm currently watching the Le Mans 24 Hours and was just wondering how you would get a sharp photo of the cars racing at night.
I know that for night shots you need a long shutter speed. But for motor sport shots you need a short shutter speed. So how (if you can) would you combine the two to get a sharp picture of a Le Mans car at night ?
Maybe a very wide aperture and high iso.

I am still laughing..... but, Adam has it sort of in the bag. Having done only the dusk shots, and the "circle track" or "speedway" tracks at night, the secret is an incredible camera lens combo. If, you can find an area which is lighted, like the pit area, then you will most likely have a shot with any camera...ISO 2000 maybe. Cars on the move...with the headlights on and in your face, then it requires everything be manual. Shoot the cars without the headlights in your face to find the exposure, then set manual ISO, shutter and f/stop from the test shots. Then try she more tests with the headlights in your face and see what happens. If you can manage to shoot just before you are blinded, with the lights off you by at least 30 degrees, you will most likely find it works.

The older meters get fooled by the headlights even in the daytime. (D90, D200 are my reference points .here) I have noted, however, the D4 meter does not seem fooled by the bright lights in daytime, thus it may work better.

As I happen to be at a race track, camping, and the security car will come by on the track with its headlights on, I am going to try some test shots tonight and see what happens.

Oh, flash may be OK once the car has passed by, but my suspicions are that if the flash were bright enough to light up the car, and you were shooting into the face of the car, like the photo on PAD today, after a few flashes, security would somehow come to discuss this. The guide number of your flash in most of the USA venues would have to be about 1500 to shoot at f/8. Mmmmm...let's see now.... jump the ISO to about 2000, use a Metz mecablitz 76 MZ-5 Digital Handle Mount Flash, and you would have it! At about 175 feet away from the cars.

In Europe...maybe you can get closer or...with credentials, a much better vantage point. But, I really think the flash may not be the best way to show the car at night, except as a bit of fill, possibly.

Great question and of course, as I do shoot a few of these moving objects... I will try to share all my blunders and successes, if any in an attempt to answer it....

Le Mans would be a very tough place for stills. Well, beyond my capabilities anyway. I'd much rather take my chances at one of those new F1 tracks in Asia--lighting far more modern, so once you got your settings right for a particular location I think you'd be ready to rock.

The other thing I always do in similar shooting conditions, is ALWAYS write your settings down when you eventually find a combination that works. My memory is not what it used to be, so I have to rely upon a notebook and pencil. Each situation is slightly different, but if you've spent a long time taking test shots, and worked out a nice group of settings, the chances are they'll be 80% correct the next time you're shooting a similar scene, and so save you a load a time.

sevencrossing said:
Go to Auto ISO menu. set max ISO as high as possible, but not the Hi settings, this will probably be a lot higher than you are comfortable with eg 6400

Set min shutter speed to 250

in A Mode set your widest aperture of f2.8

and see what happens

in the digital age you don have to wait for the results

sorry this is a bit late, the sun is up

Yes that's how I would probably start (although with the D3s I'm not afraid of using the 'Hi' settings, in fact I think the grain can often add to the character of night shots), and then transcribe those settings into manual mode for fine adjustment. Am I the only one who does this?

Higher ISO and longer shutter speed help. Plus, with a longer shutter speed you can get some really nice panning shots. Just keep shooting until you get a good one—that's the beauty of digital. Also, you can always fix it up a bit in post. Here are some of my favorite night shots that I've taken. These are from the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring:

WarEagle said:
Higher ISO and longer shutter speed help. Plus, with a longer shutter speed you can get some really nice panning shots. Just keep shooting until you get a good one—that's the beauty of digital. Also, you can always fix it up a bit in post.

Great shots! It demonstrates the interesting mixed color sources we run into at night and dusk. The most truthful part is " Just keep shooting until you get a good one".... as the panning shots will sometimes eat up a heck of a lot of exposure to get nice ones here. I shoot at about 1/60th or 1/125th and then edit like crazy in camera. This eliminates about 75% of the rejects.

Now, the real trick, which I have not figured out how to do, is how to get the shot in the middle of the night when there is very little ambient light.....

And then I checked the Exif data and you were at 1/60th wide open at f/1.8 so it looks like we use similar techniques. If folks look at the full size image, one can appreciate what happens when the panning is going on during exposure. The various parts of the vehicle move at different speeds relative to the camera. You were right on with the "sharp" focus in the middle of the car. Nice work.

I want to know who those photogs are that run out onto pit road during pit stops to take photos of the cars and drivers during the 24 Hours of LeMons. At least they are all wearing helmets (beanie cap helmets).

I took this one at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta back in October. It was completely dark outside and the lighting at the track certainly didn't help photography.

Wide open aperture, high ISO, and a flash can help. I had no problem reaching the cars with the PowerSnoot on the flash (I would have had a problem without it or something else similar). The main thing I did not like about the flash was that it stopped the motion of the wheels. I think with a slower shutter speed and rear curtain flash, you should be able to keep some motion in the shot so the car does not look parked on the track. A 70-200mm lens would help a lot. I had a 105mm DC and a 55-200mm... neither a great option for racecars in the dark. I know a lot more about flash photography now than I did then and probably could have gotten a much better shot using different settings even with the same camera/lens/flash setup (I should have used rear curtain flash, a slower shutter speed, and possibly turned the ISO up a little more).

Focus should be set on AF-C, single point. Begin tracking the car with the shutter half pressed just as soon as you can see it (focus on a racecar in the dark is not fast, so give it as much time as possible).

Well, I suppose I have to put up an example here...and this blows my mind the ability of the camera. Not the photographer... I was experimenting as to what can be done with the hi ISO.

ISO 51,200..... 1/500th at f/5.6.....most likely this could have been done at 1/250th, but I find panning from about 425 feet (130 meters) away, which is where I was for this shot, is very difficult at least for me. I miss a lot of them. I think the new generation of sensors, with the hi ISO will make our jobs easier.

@spraynpray....Thank you, I am such a newbie to all the digital PP stuff, I have never given any thought to the available noise reduction. Now, as you have pointed this out, I will have to look.

The photo was not one I would have sent out, as it was only a test to see what happened...and of course the D4 does such and incredible job, I was still breathless, ha, ha, ha....Maybe someday I will learn this post processing activity....but old dogs have difficulty learning new tricks...

After import select the Develop module then select the detail panel on the right and you will find the luminance and detail noise reduction sliders there, then I tickled the sharpening a little to get it back sharper after noise reduction. The good thing about LR4 is that you have to be really ham-fisted to end up with a bad edit (halo's etc.).